Stomatorhinus puncticulatus Boulenger, 1899
Species overview
Small fish, body moderately short and deep, head slightly shorter than body depth, slightly longer than deep, snout blunt round to truncate, clearly protruding mouth which is clearly subterminal; caudal peduncle slender. Purplish brown, dotted black, unpaired fins darker in front. Size observed: 79 mm SL, 95 mm TL.
S. puncticulatus(measurements)
Taxonomic description
-Body laterally compressed, moderately short and deep, body depth 25-35 % SL, greatest depth near origin of anal fin.
-Head length 26-30 % SL; head depth 20-26 % SL, 69-84 % body depth.
-Outline of back straight to slightly convex, upper profile of head strongly convex, underside of head slightly concave, outline of belly more or less curved.
-Snout truncate, 16-25 % head length, 26-36 % postorbital length.
-Mouth width 12-18 % head length, clearly subterminal, its edge below anterior rim of the eye, upper jaw on a level with lower edge base of pectoral fin.
-Chin inconspicuous.
-Teeth notched, 7/9.
-Nostrils circular, clearly separate, anterior on a level with lower rim of lens, posterior nostril close to edge of mouth.
-Eye diameter 9-16 % head length, 14-25 % postorbital length.
-Opercular cleft curved 18-32 % head length, 21-43 % head depth.
-Dorsal fin 17-18 fin-rays, base of D 18-26 % SL, anal fin 21-22 rays, base of A 21-28 % SL, origin of D behind origin of A, end of D more or less opposite to end of A; predorsal length 57-62 % SL, preanal length 52-57 % SL.
-Pectoral fin pointed, extending to tip of pelvic fin or slightly beyond. V is closer to P than to A.
-Caudal fin obtusely pointed, the scaled lobes rounded and very short, less than 1/5 the length of the fin. 52-55 scales in lateral line, only 32-40 with pores; 16 scales round caudal peduncle.
-Caudal peduncle slender, 18-24 % SL, its depth 5-6 % SL, 21-28 % its length.
-Coloration »Purplish brown, dotted all over with blackish; dorsal and anal fins darker in front«.
Type locality
»Boma et Chiloango«. (Boma: 5° 51 ‘ S 13° 03 ‘ E.) Zaïre-Central, district of Democratic Republic of Congo.
Distribution
»Lower Zaïre, Stanley Pool«. (Stanley Pool, recently Pool Malebo: 4° 02 ‘ S 16° 03 ‘ E.) Democratic Republic of Congo.